Streaming digital media consists generally of sequences of digital information received in a “stream” of packets, and designed to be displayed or rendered. Examples include streamed audio content, streamed video, etc.
Digital media streams are becoming an increasingly significant means of content delivery, and form the basis for several adopted, proposed or de facto standards. The acceptance of this format, however, has been retarded by the ease with which digital media streams can be copied and improperly disseminated, and the consequent reluctance of content owners to allow significant properties to be distributed through streaming digital means. In addition, the lack of a common format for carrying security and rights management information that is flexible enough to accommodate arbitrary content formats and functions has made interoperability more difficult. For these reasons, there is a need for a methodology by which digital media streams can be protected.